Accelerator company Echo named Best British Mobile Startup at Mobile World Congress

Echo, one of the companies on the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme, has been awarded the Best British Mobile Startup 2018 at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry.

Having made the shortlist following entries from businesses across the UK, Echo co-founder and CEO Sai Lakshmi was invited to make the trip to Barcelona to pitch in front of a panel of judges and hundreds of the industry’s global investors.

As one of just 13 UK businesses under the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Pavilion, Echo’s pitch for the KPMG’s Best British Mobile Startup title took place at 4YFN (Four Years From Now), the dedicated startup conference at the Congress.

Echo is a free app, enabling patients to order NHS prescriptions and get medication delivered to their door. By putting patients in control, sorting out the prescriptions and sending reminders both for when to take the medication and when it is about to run out, Almost half of all adults take a repeat prescription, but 40% of medication isn’t taken as directed, costing the NHS billions every year. Echo’s aim is to remove the barriers to medication adherence.

Echo co-founder, Sai Lakshmi said: “We are incredibly proud of the progress Echo has made since it was formed only three years ago, and this award is recognition of the hard work that has gone in to building the business into what it is today. Managing medication can be a frustrating experience, but it doesn’t have to be, and we want to help people to stay on top of their conditions and be able to get on with their lives. Flying the flag for UK businesses to a global audience was an invaluable opportunity, and another step in our ambition to transform the future of healthcare.”

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland pavilion at 4YFN 2018 was supported by Department for International Trade (DIT) which helps UK-based businesses to ensure their success in international markets. It was sponsored by techUK, the trade association for the UK Technology industry.